I. Field
The embodiments described herein pertain generally to the field of asset management and more particularly to methods and apparatus for having an asset make itself apparent to one attempting to locate the asset.
II. Description of the Related Art
Asset management is an important part of many businesses today. Assets may include, for example, earth moving equipment, tractor trailers, construction equipment, railroad train cars and engines, cargo containers, and rental equipment of all shapes and sizes. Asset management is particularly important in instances where assets are moved in the typical course of business or in cases where assets themselves are mobile. For example, in the equipment rental industry, equipment is usually rented to individuals or companies for use away from a rental equipment yard.
Part of a good asset management system should include the ability to locate an asset among a group of similar assets or to locate an asset within a given geographic area. Such a capability would make it easy for workers to locate, for example, a particular backhoe among a group of similar backhoes for maintenance purposes. Or a foreman on a jobsite may need to locate a particular earth mover because it needs to be returned to a rental company.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and apparatus for locating assets quickly and easily.